Nicolas Cage Disputes IRS Claims

Nicolas Cage may circumvent the usual government channels in his "National Treasure" movies, but he's aboveboard in real life, especially regarding his taxes.

The Oscar-winning actor is petitioning the Internal Revenue Service, disputing their claims that he and his production company, Saturn Productions, owe money for writing off more than a million in personal expenses, reports Forbes.com. On the contrary, Cage says that all of his expenses are legitimate claims related to his job and that he declared his salary and anything that could be considered income.

The IRS is seeking $814,000 from Cage, nee Nicolas Coppola, in taxes and penalties for the years 2002-2004, seeking more for his salary and the perks that come with his job, in addition to $988,000 from Cage's Saturn Productions, denying a deduction for the disputed expenses.

Some of the expenses listed among the deductions include meals, gifts, limousines, travel and his Gulfstream jet. Cage's business manager Samuel J. Levin claims that these types of expenses are "customary in the entertainment industry" and were partly based on the actor's "security needs."

Cage is involved with another legal matter involving his reputation. He has entered into legal proceedings in London against his former "Peggy Sue Got Married" co-star Kathleen Turner for libel regarding claims in her upcoming biography that he has had two DUIs and once stole a chihuahua.

Cage's recent credits include "Ghost Rider," "Grindhouse" and "Next." He recently reprised his role as treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates in "National Treasure: Book of Secrets."